Bentley Continental vs Maserati Ghibli: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Maserati Ghibli burns about $3,800 of fuel annually against $4,000 for the Bentley Continental. That $200 yearly gap compounds to roughly $1,000 over five years and $1,600 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City versus highway split: the Maserati Ghibli is the stronger commuter at 18 mpg city, while the Bentley Continental pulls ahead on the interstate at 26 mpg highway. If most of your driving is stop-and-go traffic the city figure is the one to weigh; for long-distance highway mileage the reverse is true, and the two vehicles effectively swap places depending on how you drive.

Powertrain choice: the Bentley Continental is recorded with 4 distinct engine configurations (SIDI; PHEV, SIDI, SIDI & PFI), the Maserati Ghibli with 1 (SIDI). Across 32 recorded Bentley Continental configurations and 33 for the Maserati Ghibli, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Bentley Continental is offered with All-Wheel Drive, the Maserati Ghibli with Rear-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Subcompact Cars and Midsize Cars respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Bentley Continental emits 161 g/mile of CO2 versus 436 g/mile for the Maserati Ghibli. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.